The presence of metals, such as radioactive and/or non-radioactive metals, in an animal can be toxic to the body and/or cause negative health effects. Thus, removing such metals can be important to avoid or reduce toxicity to the animal.
Exposure to toxic metals can occur through environmental exposures. For example, an animal undergoing various medical procedures may be exposed to toxic metals. In addition, the United States and many other countries face increasing threats from terrorist groups with respect to the use of weapons of mass destruction against civilian populations. Of particular concern is that some of these groups are intensifying their efforts to acquire and develop nuclear and radiological weapons, and there are a limited number of therapies that can be offered to victims of nuclear terrorism.
Currently, the only agents that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as chelating agents for americium, curium and plutonium are the calcium and zinc salts of trisodium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA). Transuranic radionuclides (i.e., those with an atomic number of 92 or greater), such as americium, curium and plutonium, can potentially be incorporated in radiation dispersal devices (RDDs; “dirty bombs”). The primary goal in treating those exposed to transuranic radionuclides is to chelate the transuranic radionuclides before they become fixed in tissues, such as the liver and bone, and enhance their elimination from contaminated individuals.